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The Rake
by: Mary Jo Putney |
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Binding: Paperback Dewey Decimal Number: 813 EAN: 9780451406866 ISBN: 0451406869 Label: Topaz Manufacturer: Topaz Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 352 Publication Date: April 01, 1998 Publisher: Topaz Studio: Topaz |
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| Customer Reviews | ||
  - I Really Wanted to Like This Book a Lot MoreThere were some aspects of this book that I found very, very good. Putney writes well and her characters are fairly well-developed. I enjoyed the building of the friendship between the hero and heroine and the respect that they demonstrate for one another. What put me off, though, is that I kept feeling like I was being brought to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. I don't have a problem when a book has an underlying theme intended to make the reader examine herself. But as I read this book, I felt like Putney was trying to indoctrinate me into the philosophy of AA (and I'm not even a drinker!!!) more than she was trying to spin a romantic tale. The message was just a little too heavy-handed for me, and the book leaves me questioning whether I want to try reading any of Putney's other books. Rating:  - Amazing!This book was about a man who tried desperately to change who he was. Seeing him struggle to better himself, his desperation when things went wrong, the way she stood by his side and helped him... It was an amazing story of changing, growing, getting to know oneself... And I loved the fact that there was more then just passion between them. There was respect, friendship, companionship. And they only made love when they made a conscious decision about it, with no regrets afterward. Too often the heroes get carried away with passion and then regret what they did. The only problem I had with it was the reason the heroine run away from home. Her reasons were... well, immature at least. OK, so she was insecure about her looks. But did she really have to run away and hide for 12 years because of it? It was a bit to much. But anyway, I really liked this book and enjoyed every page of it. Rating: - Straight into my top tenThis is only the second MJP book I've ever read but I would rate it in my top ten list of historical/regency romances. It's an extremely well written, intense book about a complicated hero and a strong heroine. Reggie Davenport is the Rake of the title with a dreadful reputation. He's a damaged individual who has so far spent his life womanising, gambling and above all, drinking to excess yet he is inevitably charming, has a wicked sense of humour and you find that he has his own code of honour. He is given a chance to turn his life around when his cousin gives him a prosperous estate in Dorsetshire and there he encounters the steward responsible for running his property so successfully. The steward in question, AE Weston, turns out to be Alys Weston who has her own demons to escape from. The story of their developing relationship is really well drawn, the author lets you see into the heads of both of the main protagonists. The plot lines are believable and there are two charming secondary romances. A big part of the story concerns Reggie's gradual realisation of his dependence on alcohol and his fight to become sober but this is all really sympathetically done and well woven into the story line. Alys's support is vital and gives their relationship a great added dimension. I absolutely loved both the main characters, found the whole story charming, funny on occasion and also very moving in parts. It's a shame this book is out of print - it deserves to be reissued. Rating: - Redemption of a Rake!Having known friends who experienced the daily struggle to avoid alcohol, I was prepared to find this book either preachy or unbelievable. Instead, I found a touching love story between a rake (Reggie) whose drinking has spun out of control and a reformer (Alys) who has proven herself to be better than most men at her chosen job (steward of an estate) but who still has emotional issues with her unique appearance and perceived rejection by a former lover. Reggie's struggle with his past, his drinking, and his attraction to Alys (whom he keeps on the job because of her great ability, OK that probably wouldn't have happened in that time, but get over it) is very well-done. Alys's realization that she has her own type of beauty and that her inner self is more important that her outer self is wonderful (wish more women would get on this train!). The friendship that develops between them is warm and loving and the love scenes are sweet and hot without the usual twenty-page breath-by-breath descriptions of sex that would make a Tantric master hide in a box. Secondary romances between Reggie's valet & a pregnant housemaid and Alys's ward and Reggie's best friend are believable and add a lot to the story. The humor in the book is very well-done and the times that Reggie slips and starts drinking again are accurate and sad. This book is a classic and I will keep it on my "Forever" shelf so I can read it again and again. Rating: - The Rake - Mary Jo PutneyI was very surprised when I read this book because I thought it would be a lot better. It was highly recommended on the forum on Amazon by the readers. I thought the author talented but I did not like the story very much. Both the hero and the heroine lived their lives according to something that happened so long ago. Then all of a sudden they forgive and forget... not a bad book but not the best. |
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